Distribution: Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia)

Habitat: Rocky Areas and Savannah Grassland. Specialised to live in rocky areas with small crevices, ranging from desert to grasslands.

Diet: Omnivorous. Eats a wide array of plants, seeds and flowers, but will also opportunistically take invertebrates such as beetles.

Lifespan: 30-40 years

Threats: Pet Trade and Habitat degradation/fragmentation

IUCN Status and Trend: Critically Endangered

Did you know?

The shell of a pancake tortoise is light and flat which enables them to be good climbers and the fastest movers out of all the tortoise species. It also allows them to squeeze into the tight crevices between rocks.

Distribution: Central America (Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama)

Habitat: Tropical Forest and Savannah Grasslands. Range of habitats including forests, grasslands, coastal zones and even human settlements and plantations.

Diet: Omnivorous. Eat a wide array of fruits, plants and flowers but will opportunistically take smaller animals, eggs and invertebrates.

Lifespan: 15-20 years

Threats: Harvesting for human consumption

IUCN Status and Trend: Least Concern

Did you know?

This species is the fastest species of lizard in the world and has been recorded running at speeds of up to an astonishing 30mph!

Distribution: Central and South America

Habitat:Tropical Forests and Savannah Grasslands.

Diet: Omnivorous. Eat a wide array of fruits, plants and flowers but will also eat fungi and carrion.

Lifespan: 40+ years

Threats: Habitat degradation/fragmentation and Pet Trade

IUCN Status and Trend: Not Evaluated

Did you know?

This tortoise has a tall and narrow shell to help squeeze between trees when in the forests.

Distribution: South America (Including Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago)

Habitat: Wetlands & Rivers

Diet: Omnivorous. Feed almost entirely on plant material such as fruits, seeds, leaves and algae but will also take freshwater sponges, eggs and carrion.

Lifespan: 40+ years

Threats: Habitat degradation/fragmentation and poaching of eggs and adults

IUCN Status and Trend: Data Deficient

Did you know?

The Giant South American River Turtle is one ofthe largest river turtles in the world

Distribution: South America (Including Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago)

Habitat: Wetlands& Rivers

Diet: Carnivorous. Eats a wide array of vertebrates (mainly fish) and invertebrates, but will take small mammals and birds. 

Lifespan: 20-40 years

Threats: Habitat degradation/fragmentation and poaching

IUCN Status and Trend: Least Concern

Did you know?

They are the smallest species of caiman, only growing to around 1.5m

Distribution: Indonesia, Singapore, Eastern Malaysia, and Southern Thailand

Habitat: Forest. Typically inhabits tropical rainforest and mangroves.

Diet: Carnivorous. Eats a wide array of vertebrates including small mammals, birds and reptiles, including other snakes. 

Lifespan: 10-15 years

Threats: Habitat degradation/fragmentation

IUCN Status and Trend: Data Deficient

Did you know?

These snakes are also called ‘Yellow- Ringed Cat Snakes’. This is because they have large eyes with vertical slits like a cat!

Distribution: Indonesia (Restricted to the Aru Islands)

Habitat: Forest. Typically inhabits tropical rainforest and mangroves.

Diet: Carnivorous. Eats a wide array of invertebrates and small vertebrates.

Lifespan: 10-15 years

Threats: Habitat degradation/fragmentation and Pet trade

IUCN Status and Trend: Data Deficientâ

Did you know?

The tail of the Black Tree Monitor is prehensile, meaning they use it to hold on to branches to stabilise themselves while climbing

Distribution: Madagascar (South-west)

Habitat: Shrublands and Forests. Inhabit dry forests and thornbush.

Diet: Omnivorous. They eat a wide array on invertebrates/small vertebrates. They will also eat fruits, nectar and pollen.

Lifespan: Up to 20 years, average 10 years.

Threats: Habitat degradation/fragmentation and Pet trade

IUCN Status and Trend: Vulnerable 

Did you know?

The Standings Day Gecko is the largest species of Day Geckoand is one of the largest Geckos in Madagascar

Distribution: Madagascar(East-central).Restricted to 3 areas around the town of Moromanga

Habitat: Wetlands/Primary and Secondary Forests. Usually found in damp, swampy areas, often associated with Screw Pine forests.

Diet:Insectivorous. They eat a wide range of small invertebrates such as Ants, Fruit Flies, Termites.

Lifespan: 6-10 years

Threats: Habitat degradation/fragmentation and Pet trade

IUCN Status: Critically Endangered 

Did you know?

A group of Mantella is called an Army

The red knee tarantula (also known as the red-kneed tarantula) is a type of burrowing tarantula that inhabits the pacific mountains of Mexico. The red knee tarantula is most well-known for its hairy body and the red bands that don its legs.

The red knee tarantula typically grows to around 20cm in length but some particularly large individuals have been known to grow much bigger. The red knee tarantula has a relatively long lifespan for a spider as many get to be older than 30 years of age, however this is only the case for the female tarantula. This arachnid is totally carnivorous, eating a range of different prey. The Female Mexican Red Knee lays an average of 40 eggs which are then deposited into a silk sack for protection. The eggs will be in this silk sack for around a month until they hatch into tiny baby tarantulas or ‘Slings’ as they are known. 

IUCN Red List Category– Near Threatened

Boa constrictors are tan in colour, gradually becoming darker closer to the tail. The diamond shape patterning on their backs makes them a very pretty snake to look at and also a very popular pet. These snakes are Ovoviviparous, meaning they retain the eggs inside the female who then effectively gives birth to live young. Being born at around 18 inches, these snakes can grow to an impressive 5-9ft with some large females exceeding 12ft.

Common Boas are solitary and nocturnal and can be found from northern Mexico right through to Argentina. Of all the boas, this snake thrives in the most varied habitats but shows the least inclination towards water. Like all snakes this species will shed its skin on an annual basis. It is easy to tell when a snake is ready to shed as their eyes become cloudy and their body becomes relatively dull. These boas are very good climbers and young snakes can regularly be found foraging high in the tree tops, larger snakes do climb but not as often as the young individuals due to their larger body sizes. Common boas will eat a wide variety of animals ranging from small rodents, birds and amphibians to larger animals such as Ocelots. Feeding predominantly at night the snake will actively seek outs its prey, striking and wrapping itself tightly around the victim. It will then squeeze the prey until it stops breathing and swallow the animal whole. 

 IUCN Red List Category– Least Concern

These tortoises are a native of the Sahara Desert and the Sahel in Africa. To get to areas with higher moisture, these tortoises dig burrows which may reach up to 10 feet below the ground where they spend the warmer parts of the day.

They then come out when the blistering temperatures have cooled and a little more comfortable. Their hell is actually a modified rib cage which has evolved into a protective outer shell designed to prevent predators injuring or even killing the reptile. The tortoise will retract its head into its shell and then make a tight seal with its hard legs to prevent a predator from being able to damage its vital areas. Tortoises are reptiles, just like the dinosaurs were, and as a result are endothermic. This means that they control their body heat via the external environment and not through internal processes like ourselves. 

IUCN Red List Category– Vulnerable